Seminole school rezoning gets go-ahead

SANFORD — Rezoning of Seminole County elementary schools got the go-ahead Tuesday from the School Board, which said substantial changes in student-attendance zones are needed to balance enrollments.

The board largely agreed to tentative plans outlined earlier this month but clarified how it will treat the eight "cluster" schools in the Sanford area, where parents now can choose among schools. The board is stepping gingerly for fear of upsetting its school desegregation plan, which included the cluster schools years ago to help win release from a federal desegregation mandate.

Countywide, 27 of the 36 elementary schools operated by the School Board will be considered for changes in attendance zones in an effort to reduce crowding at some schools and fill empty seats at others. Those schools enroll just over 20,000 students, and thousands might be forced to switch schools next fall.

"We are doing this to handle the growth that is coming, and to make sure we are offering quality education to every student," School Board member Tina Calderone said.

As early as next week, three committees composed of parents and school officials will begin working on rezoning plans for the schools, which have been divided into three groups to ease the unwieldy process. The board hopes to adopt new attendance zones in April.

Five elementary schools that will be allowed to keep their current attendance areas are Altamonte, Lake Orienta, English Estates, Casselberry and Sabal Point. Goldsboro Elementary in Sanford will remain a countywide magnet school.

Three cluster schools on the east side of Sanford — Hamilton, Midway and Pine Crest — also would be excluded from rezoning until officials can come up with a plan to make them more attractive to parents, possibly through enhanced programs or facilities. The three have among the highest proportion of students from low-income families in the county.

"We want to make those schools so desirable that everyone wants to come to those schools," Superintendent Walt Griffin said.

Elementary schools in North Seminole grouped for rezoning include Heathrow, Woodlands, Lake Mary, Highlands, Winter Springs and Layer, as well as the remaining cluster schools: Wilson, Bentley, Crystal Lake, Wicklow and Idyllwilde.

After nearly two hours of discussion, the board agreed that those five cluster schools should now become zoned schools. Facing increasingly tight budgets, school district officials say they no longer can afford to send several buses into neighborhoods to pick up students for different schools.